Thomas Kahn CCPS Faculty Fellow and Adjunct Professorial Lecturer Government
- Degrees
- Georgetown Law Center, JD
Magna cum Laude
University of St. Petersburg, Russia,
Tufts University, BA
Magna cum Laude - Bio
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Tom Kahn is a Distinguished Faculty Fellow at the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies at American University and before that was an adjunct professor at George Washington University. At both schools, he has lectured on Congress, the Presidency and the federal budget. In 2023, American University gave him the, “Outstanding Teaching in an Adjunct Appointment Award.” He’s also a senior consultant at the Cormac Group, a Washington public affairs group. Finally, he's a consultant to the National Democratic Institute and International Republican Institute through which he provides assistance to foreign parliaments about budgeting.
Tom worked in Congress for 33 years. Tom is the longest serving staff director in history for the House Budget Committee—20 years. He also held senior posts for two other House Committees. While at the Budget Committee, he played a critical role on the following budget negotiations: Simpson/Bowles, the Biden talks, the Super Committee, the successful Balanced Budget agreement of 1997 and the enactment of the Affordable Care Act.
Tom is an attorney and practiced law at Sullivan and Cromwell in New York before coming to Capitol Hill. He’s a magna cum laude graduate of both Georgetown Law School and Tufts University. At law school, Tom was an editor of the Georgetown Law Journal. He’s a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the National Budgeting Roundtable, Freedom House's Board of Trustees, the American Jewish Committee’s Board of Governors, Israel Policy Forum's board of directors and the Board of Directors of the National Coalition Supporting Eurasian Jewry. He appears regularly on cable news and in the print media about federal budget issues. Tom and his wife, Susie, are the proud parents of two teenagers, Ben and Daniel.
- For the Media
- To request an interview for a news story, call AU Communications at 202-885-5950 or submit a request.
Teaching
Fall 2024
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GOVT-321 Congress& Legislative Behavior
Spring 2025
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GOVT-321 Congress& Legislative Behavior